Do You Believe In Magic?
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Queen Narissa sends Giselle to Storybrooke instead of New York, and while there, Giselle meets Neal and makes it her goal to get him to believe in magic and love again.
1. Neal Meets Giselle

Disclaimer: Only the plot is mine!

"It's about time you got here, Nathaniel!" Queen Narissa barked at her henchman, who was plodding into the throne room. "I called you more than an hour ago!"

"Sorry, my lady," Nathaniel flushed. "I was out hunting with the prince and you know how he gets when he hunts. We get started and it takes a long time for him to tire."

"And did you just talk about hunting?" Narissa asked him. "Or did you discuss _other_ things as well?"

"Other things?" Nathaniel asked nervously. "What sort of other things?"

Queen Narissa growled. "Don't be stupid, Nathaniel! Edward is a grown man now, and I'm afraid I've reached the point every mother dreads: the day my son would fall in love and marry some hussy to come and take my throne! So...any talk of that nature?"

"No, ma'am," Nathaniel shook his head. "Not that I heard."

"Good!" Narissa nodded. "And we need to keep it that way. You take him out hunting every day. Animals, trolls, dragons, anything! You keep him so busy that he won't have _time_ to find a wife. Do you understand me? I will _not_ be tossed aside because Edward was able to marry. I'm quite comfortable where I am."

Nathaniel nodded. "And I'll make sure you stay here, my lady."

True to his word, he kept Prince Edward so busy with hunting that the prince didn't have time to even _think_ about finding a suitable wife. All was well until one day Edward got away. Nathaniel saw him ride off on his horse after they caught a troll and, and, huffing and puffing, ran after him. "My prince!" He called. "Where are you going? What about the troll? We can't just leave it here!"

"The troll doesn't matter, Nathaniel!" Edward cried. "Don't you hear that beautiful music? I _must_ find out where it's coming from!" He urged his horse to go faster with Nathaniel sighing and trying his best to run. They finally stopped just next to a peasant's cottage where a young woman's voice issued from inside. Edward sat on his horse and watched, glorying in the sound of her voice, and when she came out, he rode up to her. They locked eyes, and Nathaniel, knowing what he had to do to please the queen, went to free the tied up troll, who immediately lumbered over the country side as Nathaniel led him to where Edward and the girl were. The troll set eyes on the young lady and picked her up. She let out a shriek, and with a laugh, Edward grabbed his sword and started waving it at the troll again. "Vile fiend!" He cried. "You will not harm that young lady! Release her now, or feel the sharpness of my sword!" With a snort, the troll set Giselle in a nearby tree and went after the prince instead. They tussled for awhile until finally, Edward restrained the troll once more. Then, he heard a shriek as Giselle toppled from the tree and headed toward the groud. He caught her and put her on his horse, asking her then to marry him. She accepted, and as they rode off, Edward commanded that Nathaniel talk to his mother about making wedding plans for the following day.

Knowing the annoucement would put the queen in a sour mood, Nathaniel braced himself and went to the throne room. "My lady," he said to her. She was turned away from him, but at the sound of his voice, she whipped around and he didn't say anymore.

"Don't bother speaking, Nathaniel," she snapped. "I know you failed at the _one thing_ I asked you to do. I saw it all. It seems like nothing gets done around her unless I do it myself!"

Nathaniel gave a whimper and bowed, mumbling an apology, but as she strode out of the throne room, she just shook her head. "Be silent!" She ordered him. "And think about how you have failed me. And how to make sure it doesn't happen again."

She then strode out of the room to think of the best way to get rid of the woman who thought she was gonna take her place on the throne.

The carriage to take Giselle to her wedding pulled up just as the birds and other forest animals were helping Giselle put the finishing touches on her dress. The second she heard it, though, she made a run for the door so fast that a pair of bluebirds had to give her her tiara on the way out. "Thank you!" She called to them, her voice cheerful. "Thank you very much!" She got into the carriage, but en route to the castle, the carriage stopped and an old peasant woman sidled up beside it and peered in.

"Hello, dearie," she told Giselle. "I have heard you're about to marry the prince. Is that true?"

"Yes!" Giselle nodded. "I love Edward. I'm going to marry him, and we'll live happily ever after!"

The old woman (who was really Narissa in disguise), gestured at a fountain on the side of the road. "Why don't you rest for a little bit and come make a wish at this fountain? It will make all your dreams come true."

"But all my dreams are _already_ coming true!" Giselle told her. "I'm marrying the man I love!"

"Ah, but it never hurts to give yourself a little extra good fortune, does it?" The old hag asked.

"No," Giselle shook her head. "I guess not." She got out of the carriage and walked to the fountain. "Peer down into the depths," the hag urged. "And make a wish."

Giselle leaned over, but the woman kept telling her to go closer and closer, until finally, with a shriek, Giselle toppled into the fountain and was pulled downward without resurfacing.

"How clever, my lady!" Nathaniel told her. "She won't be coming back now, will she? I hope you didn't kill her."

"No," Narissa shook her head and instructed the coachman to go back and pretend they'd seen nothing. They agreed without protest and drove away. "I didn't kill her," Narissa replied. "I did something much worse. I sent her to a place with no magic, and no happily ever after."

* * *

When Giselle finally managed to stop moving, it was because her body hit wet, solid ground. She sat up and saw a sign above her. "Welcome to Storybrooke," it said. She got herself standing up right and began wandering around to see if she could find the castle anywhere. She had to get to Edward. She couldn't be late for her wedding. Finally, she reached another sign. This one had a large pink and purple castle on it. Minding her skirts, she determinedly climbed up the ladder until she reached the billboard, then knocked on the castle door, yelling for someone, anyone, to let her in and help her find her prince._

Neal gave Henry one last hug and said goodbye to Emma before getting in his car and leaving her house. He still loved her, he did. But he wasn't sure what to do about it. He'd messed up bad with her before and figured that now probably wasn't the time to try and start things with her, even if they did have a kid. He had to give her some time at least, to think about what she wanted to do, and focus on building his relationship with Henry. It started to get dark as he pulled away from the house and drove down the street and a crash of thunder boomed as rain poured down Neal's windshield. Swearing, he put the wipers on and tried to stay on the road. He paused at a red light, but just as he was about to start up his car again, someone rear-ended him, sending him spinning into a billboard. His airbag discharged and then everything became quiet. He sat back in his seat and took a deep breath, then got out to survey the damage. As he groaned and ran his fingers through his hair, he heard a woman's voice call out. "Hello?" She said. "Let me in, would you? I'm here to marry the prince! Let me in, please!" He looked up and saw a woman in a large dress standing on the billboard. "Why is it always the wackos that come out at night?" He muttered to himself, and then called up to the woman. "Hey!" He yelled."Hey, are you all right?" The woman turned to look at him, and, with a shriek, slipped from the billboard ledge and went plummeting toward the ground. Moving as quickly as he could, Neal caught her. Her hair was read and curly and her eyes were blue. She wore a white dress with a wide skirt. "Are you okay?" he asked her and put her down. "What were you doing up there?"

"I was trying to get to the castle," she said. "I'm supposed to marry the prince today, but I can't get in."

"You were lucky I was there to catch you," Neal told her. "Be more careful next time."

"I knew you would catch me," she said with a wide grin, looking at him with adoration. "Someone always does."

"Look," Neal replied. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?"

"Is there a woodcutter's cottage around here?" She asked. "Or a meadow? Or a tree? I could stay in any of those."

"Or what about a hotel?" Neal asked. "Let me take you to a hotel."

"All right," she nodded. "Thank you."

Neal helped her into his car, and as they drove away from the billboard, he said, "I'm gonna need to know your name to check you in. My name's Neal."

"What a lovely name," she gushed. "My name's Giselle."

"Giselle?" Neal asked. "That's a pretty."

"Thank you," Giselle said. "And thank you for saving me. I was wandering around for hours and not a single person said hello to me. People are much friendlier where I come from."

"Yeah, well, welcome to Storybrooke," Neal replied, sarcasm heavy in his voice. But she mistook his tone. "Thank you!" She replied. "That's the first kind thing anyone has said to me since I came to this land."

"Where are you originally from?" Neal asked.

"It's called Andalasia," Giselle replied. "And it's just lovely. Not gray and depressing like here."

"Yeah, I've been in better places than this too," Neal replied. "I wasn't born here, either. I grew up in the enchanted forest."

"'Enchanted'?" Giselle asked, her interest peaked. "You mean, like with magic? I love magic! It makes such wonderful things happen!"

"No, it doesn't!" Neal said. "Don't say that. Magic is a horrible thing and we're much better off without it!" He hit the horn hard, which caused Giselle to flinch in the backseat. Afterward, he took a deep breath. "Sorry," he apologized.

"No, I'm sorry," Giselle replied. "I didn't mean to upset you. If you don't want to take me to the hotel now, I'd understand."

"No," Neal shook his head. "I said I would, and I mean it. But would you mind just…not talking until we get there? Especially not about magic?"

"All right," Giselle nodded. "Anything to make you happy, since you've been so kind to me ever since we met."

True to her word, Giselle didn't make another peep until they reached Granny's. "Who's this?" Granny asked him.

"Her name's Giselle," Neal told her. "She's visiting. Can she have a room? I'll pay."

"All right," Granny said, looking back and forth between them curiously. She handed Neal a key. "Room 207 is free. Take her up there."

"All right, thanks," Neal nodded. He and Giselle went into the room and Neal put his hands in his pockets. "You probably want to shower now, or something," he said. "I'll leave you to do that."

"What's a shower?" Giselle asked.

Sighing, Neal led her to the bathroom and turned the shower on. Giselle saw and her eyes lit up. "That's wonderful!" She cried out, clapping her hands. "And you said there wasn't magic here!"

"It's not magic," Neal told her firmly. "The water comes from the pipes."

"And where do the pipes get it?" She asked, nodding as if to tuck that information away.

"I don't know," Neal replied, rubbing his temples. "Look, I gotta go. You have a good night and I'll come and check on you in the morning, okay?"

"All right," Giselle nodded. "Goodnight, Neal. And thank you for your help."

Neal nodded and went out to his car, driving home. He stepped into his apartment and started when he found his father sitting on his sofa. "Papa," he said. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I just wondered how your date went?" Rumple asked. "Interesting that you found another woman to be with when you carried a torch for Emma for so long."

"What?" Neal burst out laughing. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Giselle," Rumple elaborated. "The young lady you got a room for at Granny's this evening. You like her, don't you?"

"No!" Neal shook his head. "I think she has something wrong with her. I found her yelling at a billboard to let her inside and she thinks showers are magic!"

Rumple grinned. "How interesting," he said. "So you're going to see her again tomorrow."

Neal nodded. "I told her I'd check on her, and maybe get her a place of her own. But that's _all_. Things are already complicated in my life. I don't need more complications on top of what I already have."

Rumple smirked again.

"What is it, Papa?" Neal asked tiredly. "Just tell me, please. I'm tired and I can't deal with this now. Is it something about Giselle and me?"

"Perhaps," Rumple said with a grin. "Or perhaps not. You'll just have to see for yourself, won't you? What kind of father would I be if I spoiled the surprise?"


	2. Giselle Meets Snow White

The next morning, despite the fact that Neal wanted to go visit Giselle himself, Rumple insisted on coming with him.

"I don't see what's so wrong about my wanting to meet the woman you so heroically rescued," Rumple said.

"Well, when you let me meet _your_ girlfriend, you can meet Giselle," Neal replied without thinking.

"Ah," Rumple chuckled. "So you consider yourself in a relationship with her. That's not a surprise to me."

"No, I don't!" Neal shook his head. "I just misspoke. I told her that I'd take her to Granny's for the night and then we'd see what we need to do to send her back home in the morning. Now it's time to send her home."

"What's the rush?" Rumple asked. "Honestly?"

Neal scoffed. "You're not gonna let this go unless I let you come with me, right?"

Rumple nodded. "Good guess."

Neal rolled his eyes and he and Rumple went to Neal's car and drove to Granny's and went straight to Giselle's room. Neal knocked once on the door, and then waited. "Come in!" Giselle called. They entered when she was just coming out of the shower, and wrapped in a white towel.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Neal stuttered as Rumple grinned at him. "I didn't know you weren't dressed. We can wait and come back when you are."

But Giselle ignored him and walked up to Rumple. "Who are you?" She asked.

"The man who rescued you is my son," Rumple told her. "They call me Mr. Gold around here. But I also go by Rumplestilskin." He kissed her hand.

"Well, hello," Giselle said. "I'm Giselle."

And Rumple grinned. "I know," he said.

"How do you know?" Giselle asked.

"Trust me, dearie," Rumple grinned. "I just do."

"Oh." Giselle put her hand down and backed away. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm going to go dress. I'll be back in a little while. You can sit down if you want."

Neal and Rumple looked at one another and sat down. Once Giselle was gone, Rumple grinned at his son. "That was a nice surprise, wasn't it?" He asked.

"What?" Neal asked. "I didn't notice anything."

"Of course you did!" Rumple nodded. "You had to have. You have eyes, don't you? She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Neal nodded. "All right," he said. "You have me there. She's pretty. But that doesn't mean anything! I can't just keep her here. She probably has family members back home that are worried sick about her!"

"You don't know that!" Rumple replied. "What if she's an orphan? What if I told you she was and you'd be doing her a favor by giving her an incentive to stay here? Take her to your apartment. I'm sure you could use the company, and I bet she'll even clean it for you."

"I can't just ask her to come live with me at my apartment!" Neal cried, running his fingers through his hair. "She'll probably think I'm a creep, and how will I explain her to Emma and Henry?"

"You don't think they know you're entitled to a relationship of your own?" Rumple asked. "You're not in a relationship with Emma anymore, are you? You don't have to tell her every decision you make so she can tell you whether or not she's all right with it. If you want to bring her home with you, just ask."

As Giselle came into the living room, Rumple stood up. "My son has something he'd like to ask you."

Giselle looked at Neal curiously. "What is it?" She asked, coming to sit next to him. "What is that you want to say?"

"I wondered if you were in any hurry to get home," Neal said after a nod of encouragement from Rumple. "Cause if you aren't, I'd like to invite you to come and stay with me."

"Oh," Giselle said, her face changing. "Thank you, that's very kind, but I really should be trying to get home. I'm supposed to be married soon, you know. Well, actually I should already be married right now, but..."

"Do you know how to get home?" Rumple asked.

"No," Giselle shook her head. "Not really. I don't even know how I got _here_."

"Well, the answer is simple then," Rumple replied. "Stay with my son until we find a way to get you home to your happily ever after. Is that all right?"

"Yes," Giselle nodded. She looked at Neal. "That wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience, would it?"

"No," Neal shook his head. "Of course not."

Giselle grinned. "Thank you for your kindness," she said to Neal and to his surprise, gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Where do you live?" She asked. "I can't wait to see it. I bet it's wonderful!"

* * *

"Oh, dear," Giselle said when she got her first look inside Neal's apartment. "Oh, dear."

"What?" Neal asked. "I warned you on the way over here that it wasn't the neatest place."

"But I wasn't expecting such a mess!" Giselle said. She clicked her tongue. "I think I'll have to clean this up!"

"Clean?" Neal asked. "You want to clean my apartment? No. No one cleans my apartment but me. It's the only way I'm able to find anything!"

"You can still find things even if they aren't strewn all over the floor," Giselle replied. "You two find something to do with yourselves for awhile and when you get back, this apartment will be so clean you'll actually be able to see the floor!"

Neal sighed. "Fine," he said, and looked at Rumple. "Let's go, Papa," then gave Giselle a look just before they left. "I really think you're making a fuss over nothing."

Giselle just gave him a smile and the two of them left, shutting the door behind them. Once the door was closed, Giselle sat on the sofa and looked around. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to do all this by myself," she said. "I'm gonna need some help!" She opened the window and sang a few notes and soon a bunch of birds, some rabbits, some squirrels, a raccoon, and some mice appeared in the apartment. "Lovely!" Giselle cried, looking around and smiling. "Let's tidy things up!"

They helped her put on a makeshift apron, then set about to tidying up Neal's apartment without interruption until, unbeknownst to them, Mary Margaret entered the apartment using the key she'd gotten from Emma. "Hello?" She called. "Neal? It's Mary Margaret! I brought your coat back. You left it at Emma's last night, and-" She cut off the sentence when she saw the squirrels and racoons running around making scratch marks on the floor. "What in the _world_?" She muttered to herself. She dropped the coat and followed the squirrels as a female voice singing a tune filled her ears. When she laid eyes on the red-haired woman in the big white dress, it took a few times of clearing her throat to get the woman's attention.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'm Mary Margaret. I'm a friend of Neal's. I just came to bring his coat to him, cause he left it at my daughter's house." She looked at the woman. "You sing while you work?"

"Yes," the redhead nodded. "Don't you?"

"No," Mary Margaret shook her head. "My husband cleans more than I do, but if I did, I wouldn't sing. I wouldn't even whistle."

"Oh," the woman nodded. "Hello, Mary Margaret," she said, standing up. "I'm Giselle. Neal was kind enough to take me in while he and his father find a way to get me back home."

"I figured you weren't from around here," Mary Margaret replied. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Giselle replied. "I intend to. Would you like to stay for a drink? Or something to eat? I know this whole place is a mess, but I'm sure I could find _something_ for you."

"No, thank you," Mary Margaret shook her head. "I just came to drop off the jacket and now I have to go." She left quickly and after Giselle finished cleaning, she sent the animals away, wondering why that woman had run off so fast when she'd tried her best to be friendly. Had she done something to offend the woman? She hoped she hadn't, and she also hoped that Mary Margaret would come back so she could make up for whatever offensive thing she'd inadvertently done to her.

* * *

When Neal and Rumple came back, they were both impressed by what she'd done to the apartment.

"It's never really been this clean," Neal said. "You're gonna have to tell me where you put all my stuff, though."

"Gladly," Giselle nodded. "I'll even make a list for you so you won't forget."

"Anyone stop by while we were gone?" Neal asked.

"A woman named Mary Margaret," Giselle replied. "She came to drop off your coat. She said you left it at her daughter's house. Then she just ran out of here. I think I offended her somehow."

"Probably not," Rumple told her. "Her daughter and my son used to have feelings for one another, so Ms. Blanchard has probably run off to tell her daughter the news that he's moved on. That's what probably shocked her. It was nothing you did."

"I hope you're right," Giselle said. "Because I hate to think that I did something to offend her when I really didn't mean to."

* * *

Emma looked up in surprise as Mary Margaret came running into the house. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Did you give Neal his jacket back?"

"Yeah," Snow nodded. "I did. I went to drop Neal's jacket off at his apartment, and I let myself in with your key, and when I did, I saw the most extraordinary thing!"

"What was it?" Henry asked.

"It was a woman!" Mary Margaret replied. "There was a woman in Neal's apartment and she was cleaning and singing and there were animals everywhere, and I think they were helping her!"

"Hold up!" Emma said. "This woman had live animals in Neal's apartment and they were helping her _clean_? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Mary Margaret nodded. "I promise! There were racoons and rabbits and mice everywhere!"

"Did you get the woman's name?" Emma asked. "And where she came from?"

"She's not from around here," Mary Margaret replied. "And she told me her name is Giselle."

"Did she seem evil?" Henry asked. "Did she seem like a bad person?"

"I don't think so," Mary Margaret shook her head. "But maybe I should take you over there tomorrow and introduce you, Emma. So you can see what you think."

"All right," Emma nodded. "I'll do it."

"Can I come too?" Henry asked.

Emma looked at Mary Margaret. "Do you think it'd be safe to bring him?"

"Sure," Mary Margaret replied. "She doesn't seem evil. Just different. She might not be so bad once we get to know her."

"All right," Emma nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll all go and meet this Giselle person, but before we do, I'm gonna call Neal and ask where she came from."

"Good idea," Mary Margaret nodded. "Talk to him or Mr. Gold. Giselle told me they're both working on a way to get her back home."


	3. Emma Gets The Wrong Idea

"Are you absolutely sure that the woman you saw in Neal's apartment wasn't dangerous?" Emma asked Mary Margaret as they headed to Neal's apartment the next day.

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded. "I promise you she's harmless. A little nutty, sure, because what normal person would clean a house with the help of forest animals, but other than that, she seems all right."

"I won't believe that until I see her for myself," Emma replied. "Was Neal at the apartment too, when you were there? Or was it just her?"

"It was just her," Mary Margaret confirmed. "But she assured me that both Neal and Mr. Gold knew she was in town and that they were working on a way to get her back home."

"She seems harmless, Emma," Henry said. "Let's just talk to her. She's probably not even dangerous at all."

"All right," Emma nodded. "We'll just talk to her, and then if she_ does _seem dangerous, then we'll call Neal. Is that fair?"

Mary Margaret and Henry looked at each other and nodded. "Yes," they said together. "Sounds fair to us."

* * *

When they reached Neal's apartment building, they parked the car out front and went inside. Emma knocked furiously on the front door, until Giselle opened it. "Hello!" She said brightly. "Neither Neal nor his father are here right now, if you're looking for them."

"Actually," Henry said, coming inside. "We're here to talk to you."

"Me?" Giselle asked, stepping back to allow Emma and Mary Margaret into the room. "Why would you want to talk to me? Is it because I'm new here?"

"Well, yeah," Emma nodded. "We don't get visitors very often, so naturally when someone new comes, we're curious."

"We hope we're not being a bother," Mary Margaret added.

"You're not," Giselle said. "Meeting all of you is so lovely. I haven't really met many people yet. Except for Neal, and his father, and-" she looked at Mary Margaret. "You came over to drop off something of Neal's while I was cleaning yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded. "I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard. This is my daughter, Emma, and her son Henry."

"I'm Giselle," Giselle said. "Does anyone want lemonade and cookies? I made some yesterday."

"Sure!" Henry said. "I'd love some cookies and lemonade. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Giselle smiled at him. She brought the cookies and laid them down on the couch next to Henry. While her back was turned cause she was getting the lemonade, Henry reached for a cookie and was about to put it in his mouth when Emma snatched it out of his hands. "I don't want you to eat that!" She whispered. "Not until we're sure this woman isn't crazy. For all you know, the cookies could have poison in them!"

Despite her whispering, Giselle had heard. "There's no poison in those." she said. "Just chocolate." She paused. "Why do you think I'd poison the cookies?"

"No offense," Emma told her. "But we just want to make sure that you won't hurt anyone around here. That's all."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Giselle said. "What makes you think I would?"

"Well, we don't know anything about you," Emma replied. "You could be a murderer or something for all we know."

"Well, I'm not," Giselle said. "I was sent here, wherever _here_ is because of a spell put on me on my wedding day. I'm just waiting for Neal and his father to find a way to get me home. That's all."

Emma looked at Neal's curtains, which had dress shaped holes in them. "What did you do to Neal's curtains?" She asked, before she realized that the fabric of Giselle's dress was the same as the curtains. "You used the curtains to make that dress, didn't you?"

"Yes," Giselle nodded. "I needed some new clothes since I'm going to be here awhile. It took longer than usual to make this dress because I didn't have any of my animal friends to help me."

"Why didn't you call them?" Mary Margaret asked. "Like the ones I saw helping you clean your apartment yesterday?"

"Cleaning and sewing are two very different tasks," Giselle said, her voice serious. "Any animal can clean, but only a special sort of animal can sew, and I don't think there's any of that sort around here."

"You know," Henry said, his mouth full. "These are really good cookies."

"Thank you!" Giselle told him. "I'd never baked anything like that before, so I wasn't sure how they'd turn out. Usually I only make pies. Apple ones."

Before Henry had time to reply, Emma had pulled out her handcuffs and had cuffed Giselle. "March, please," she said. "I'm gonna have to take you to the sheriff's station so we can have a little talk."

"Why do you have to do that?" Giselle asked, worry in her voice. "What sort of place is a sheriff's station? Why couldn't we have just talked over the cookies?!"

They got her in the car and drove down to the sheriff's station, where David watched in amazement as Emma marched the young woman in and locked her up. Giselle sat down and then started to cry.

"Who's that?" David asked.

Emma shrugged. "I've never seen her before, but I think she's crazy. Call someone at the hospital and see if we can't have a whole psychological evaluation done on her."

David looked at Giselle, who was crying in her cell. "Are you sure that's necessary? She looks harmless. Where'd she come from?"

"Mr. Gold and Neal know," Mary Margaret replied, looking very sorry for Giselle. "Let's ask them before we do anything else. Maybe we've already done too much." She sighed.

"Well, can you blame me?" Emma asked. "I mean, when you saw her cleaning with all those animals, did _you_ think she was sane?"

"I thought it was definitely strange," Mary Margaret replied. "But Henry doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from the cookies she made. Maybe you should at least let her out of the cell until we can talk."

"I'll do it," Henry said and took the cell keys from Emma while David tried to get either Mr. Gold or Neal to come down to the station. When Neal eventually showed up, he looked at Emma in shock. "What's Giselle doing here?" He asked Emma.

"I was locked in a cage!" Giselle told him. "They think I'm crazy and trying to poison them, even though I don't mean them any sort of harm."

"Neal, we don't even know where she's from!" Emma said. "I had my reasons for doing what I did!"

"She's from a place called Andalasia," Neal told Emma. "I found her on a billboard. She told me she got here because of a spell. Trust me, she's not dangerous. She doesn't even know how showers actually work."

"Yes, I do," Giselle told him. "It's magic. That's how they work."

"No, it is _not_ magic!" Neal told her. "Water comes from the pipes. We've discussed this already!" He turned his attention to Emma. "Are we done here? Is she free to go?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I guess. You can take her."

"If they're going," Henry asked, "can I come too?"

"Sure," Emma nodded. "If Regina says it's okay too."

"Who's Regina?" Giselle asked.

"She's the mayor," Emma responded. "She doesn't live far from here. We'll bring Henry to Neal's once we get her permission, all right?"

* * *

Once Regina's permission had been secured, Emma reluctantly brought Henry over to Neal's. Despite the fact that she seemed innocent of any wrong-doing, there was still something about Giselle that Emma found odd.

"Hello, Miss Swan," Mr. Gold said when he opened the door to Neal's apartment. "I heard from my son that Giselle has had some adventures today that were not strictly necessary."

"I just...I was worried," Emma said. "She was babbling about animals helping her clean and stuff. You can't blame me for thinking she's crazy."

Rumple just grinned. "Think of all the things you've seen since coming to Storybrooke, Miss Swan. Now, taking those things into account, why do talking animals suddenly seems odd?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know."

"Could it be that you behaved toward this young lady as you did because you still have feelings for my son and the thought of him paying attention to another woman is filling you full of jealousy?" Gold asked.

"What?" Emma asked, making a disgusted noise. "No! Neal can date whoever he wants. I really don't mind. And even if I _did_ still have feelings for Neal that were more than friendship, they wouldn't be any of your business!"

"If it wasn't because you still like me," Neal said, "why _did_ you arrest Giselle?"

"I already _told_ you!" Emma said. "I thought she was a crazy person who was planning on harming us all!"

Henry nodded. "She thought the cookies Giselle made were poison, but they're just delicious."

"Be careful how much you eat, Henry," Emma said. "She might be fattening you up so she can eat you."

"I would _never_!" Giselle burst out, looking affronted.

"Maybe you should go," Neal told Emma. "I'm sure you mean well, but you're just making everyone upset."

"I agree," Mr. Gold said curtly. "Good day, Miss Swan. We'll bring Henry back to you later."

"I get to stay?" Henry asked. "Cool!"

Emma looked back and forth between the three of them. "It's not gonna do me any good to protest anymore, is it?"

"No," Mr. Gold shook his head. "Not really. As I said before, good day, Miss Swan."

"I promise everything is gonna be all right," Neal said as he led Emma from the apartment. "Giselle isn't crazy. She's just lost and alone. She doesn't really have a lot of friends."

"Well, getting her some would imply she's staying," Emma said. "I thought you and Mr. Gold were working on a way to get her home."

"We are," Neal nodded. "But that will take time. In the mean time, please be kind and don't turn the whole town against her, all right?"

Emma sighed. "All right," she said.

"And maybe," Neal continued, "In the spirit of your new found attitude, you could apologize for bringing her to jail?"

Emma huffed. "Fine," she said and went back in.

"Are you staying?" Giselle asked. "We saved some cookies for you."

"No, thank you," Emma said. "I need to be on my way, but before I go, I'd like to apologize for taking you to jail today. It was rude of me, and judgmental, and you seemed terrified, so I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Giselle told her. "I forgive you. Henry said you meant well."

Emma nodded. "All right, then," she said. "I'm gonna go home. I'll probably get another scolding from David when I get there." She locked eyes with Neal. "I told Regina you'd bring Henry to her house when you were done here. Don't forget."

"I won't," Neal told Emma. "I promise."


	4. Giselle Meets Regina

"So how was your evening with Neal and Mr. Gold?" Regina asked Henry as they ate breakfast the next morning before Henry went off to school. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded. "Neal has a woman named Giselle staying with him. She came from a place called Andalasia. Neal and Mr. Gold are trying to get her back home, though."

"Interesting," Regina replied. "Someone new in Storybrooke, and no one thinks to tell the mayor so I can give her a proper welcome?"

"Just make sure you be nice," Henry warned. "Emma already put her in handcuffs and stuck her in jail. It would be good if you could be a little nicer. She's not some evil person come to destroy Storybrooke. I promise."

"Don't worry," Regina told him. "Unlike Miss Swan, I'm familiar with Giselle from Andalasia. I know that she didn't come here to harm anyone, therefore, I will be able to give her a kind and civil welcome. Do you know where she is?"

"No," Henry shook his head. Then he took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. "Here's Neal's number. He probably knows where she is." He paused. "All right, Mom. I'm gonna head out for school now. See you later."

"Bye, Henry!" Regina called after him. "Have a good day!" As soon as he was gone, Regina looked at the number, picked up her phone, and dialed.

"Hello?" Neal asked. "Who's this?"

"It's Mayor Mills, Mr. Cassidy," Regina replied. "Henry just told me about your friend Giselle and I wondered if you could tell me where she is so I might introduce myself and give her a proper welcome."

"You want to know where Giselle is?" Neal asked. "I think my father sent her to Granny's with Belle. You can check there."

"All right," Regina replied. "Thank you." As she made her way out of the house, she passed by an antique mirror, which slowly began to morph and twist until the image of a woman who was dressed much like Regina had been during her days as Queen of Fairytale Land appeared. "Regina!" She snapped. Her voice was angry and gravelly and gave Regina pause.

"Yes?" She asked. "Can I help you, Narissa? I know I'm not exactly the friend and cohort my mother was, but I can try."

"I just wondered if my spell worked," Narissa replied. "I sent the little river rat who's trying to steal my throne to Storybrooke. Did she make it?"

"If her name is Giselle," Regina replied, standing in front of the mirror, arms crossed. "Then yes, she's here. I haven't seen her yet, but I've heard she's here from my son and I'm on my way to meet her now."

"Good!" Narissa replied. "And you still grow those apples don't you? And do that spell that sends people into an endless sleep?"

"It wasn't enough to banish her?" Regina asked. "You want me to put a sleeping spell on her as well?"

Narissa nodded. "I want to make absolutely sure there's no way she can come back." She disappeared and Regina thought a moment. She was used to enacting revenge on people she believed had wronged her, but she had no quarrel with Giselle, and she wondered: was it _right_ to kill someone, if in fact they had done nothing wrong?

Shaking her head and sighing, she put on her coat and went into town to meet the Giselle that Queen Narissa was so threatened by. When she arrived at Granny's, she went straight to the table Belle was sitting at, joined by a woman Regina had never seen before. "Miss French?" Regina asked, pulling out the third chair and sitting down. "Would you care to introduce me to your friend?"

"Why?" Belle asked. "Why do you want to know who she is?"

"No reason," Regina shrugged and tried to keep her tone light and not lose her temper. "I heard she was new in town and I wanted to introduce myself."

Belle groaned, but relented. "Giselle, this is our mayor, Regina, Regina, this is my friend Giselle."

"Well, hello, Regina!" Giselle said, her voice perky and high enough to break glass. No wonder Narissa wants to kill her, Regina thought. I'd kill her for the pitch of her voice alone. But she smiled and took the woman's hand. "I hope you're enjoying your stay in our quaint little town."

"Oh, yes," Giselle nodded. "It's lovely and full of so many kind people. Even though I don't know how I got here, or why, I'm glad I'm here."

"Well, good!" Regina told her and stood up. "I'll let you two get back to your food. I have some business I need to attend to."

"Goodbye," Belle mumbled, while Giselle cried, "It was lovely meeting you! Have a wonderful day, mayor!"

"I told you," Belle said once Regina was gone, "You don't have to be nice to her. She hasn't always been a nice person herself."

"Really?" Giselle asked. "What did she do?"

"Well," Belle took a sip of her iced tea, swallowed it and cleared her throat. "You know Neal's father, Rumplestiltskin?"

"Yes," Giselle nodded. "What about him?"

"He and Regina were rivals a long time ago and she gave him a curse that brought us all here from the enchanted forest that had once been our home. It wasn't one of his proudest moments, but he's gotten better since then. Anyway, once Regina cast the curse, she wanted to be sure she could maintain absolute power, and as a way to punish Rumple, when the curst was cast, she put me in the part of the hospital where they keep people they think are crazy and for twenty-eight years, I had no memory, nor did I see anyone other than the doctors, and occasionally_ her_, when she came to gloat."

"Well, that sounds awful!" Giselle replied. "She seems so nice."

"She's good at making people think that," Belle replied darkly. "It's one of her greatest talents. But I would say that when it comes to our mayor, you must be on your guard at all times. Granted, you have Rumple looking after you, and he's the best protection from Regina and her mischief as you can possibly have, but it never hurts to be cautious."

"Neal's father," Giselle said, "Is he a good man?"

"He tries to be," Belle replied. "He's made lots of mistakes, but he's trying to make up for them. I complete confidence that he can do it."

"Well, good," Giselle said. "After what you told me about him and the curse, I was a little worried."

"You don't need to be," Belle assured her. "I promise."

* * *

As soon as Regina got back home, she reported to Narissa and told her that Giselle was indeed in Storybrooke and that she'd seen her with her own eyes.

"Good," Narissa grinned. "Now will you do as I ask and give her the apple to put her into dreamless, endless sleep?"

"Why?" Regina asked. "She's done nothing to me. Granted, her voice is a bit high and she's disgustingly perky, but-"

Narissa growled and cut her off. "It's always the way, isn't it?" She muttered as she stomped around the throne room. "If you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself."

"Mother?" Narissa turned around and saw Edward standing just inside the room.

"Yes, dear?" She asked him. "Any luck finding your princess?"

"No," Edward said morosely. "She's disappeared."

"Oh, well," Narissa said. "You have plenty of time to marry. There's no need to get worried about it now."

Sighing sadly, Edward left and Narissa made up a portal for herself that would take her to Storybrooke so she could kill Giselle. With a wicked laugh, she jumped through the swirling vortex, but for some reason, it failed to close once she'd gone through. After she'd gone, Edward came into the throne room again and saw the portal. "Nathaniel," He asked. "What is that?"

"Nothing," Nathaniel replied, trying to cover it up and failing miserably. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell me!" Edward ordered. "Tell me right this minute!"

"It's a portal," Nathaniel said. "The queen's gone to find your lady love. This took her where she is."

"Mother went to rescue Giselle?" Edward asked, elbowing Nathaniel aside. "If this is the way to my true love, I must go to, so that I can rescue her from whatever dragons or beasts have taken her hostage!"

He jumped through the portal, crying, "Fear not, Giselle! I will rescue you!"

After he was gone, Nathaniel stood up. "Oh, dear," he said to himself. "I think I'm in trouble."


	5. Edward and Narissa Come To Storybrooke

"Hello, Regina." Regina heard the voice and almost missed the apple she was cutting and cut herself with the knife instead. When she'd recovered herself, she turned around. "Narissa?" She asked the elaborately dressed woman standing in her kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"What you're too afraid to," Narissa told her. "I'm here to kill Giselle."

"Now, just a minute!" Regina told her. "I've never been afraid to kill anyone I thought deserved it, but that's the thing: Giselle has done nothing to me. I can't just kill her!"

Narissa nodded. "And now you know why I'm here." She paused. "So where is she?"

"I don't know," Regina said.

"You told me you just saw her, so where is she?" Narissa repeated. "Tell me now!"

"No," Regina replied, and with a flick of her wrist, put a spell on Narissa that froze her. Regina then left and went in search of Mr. Gold.

When she found him in his store, it took awhile to get his attention. Finally, after several minutes of ignoring her, when it was clear she wasn't going to go away, he pasted a fake smile on his face and said, "What can I do for you, dearie?"

"I have something to tell you," she said. "It's important."

"I doubt it," Rumple replied. "But go ahead and say it anyway."

"You know about Giselle, don't you?" Regina asked. "The woman from Andalasia?"

"Yes," Rumple nodded. "What about her?"

"Well," Regina replied, "It seems that another person has come from her land. Someone who wants her dead. She asked me to do the killing, but I refused, so she came to do it herself."

"My goodness," Gold said in surprise. "You refused an opportunity to commit murder? Someone is growing up."

"Oh, don't patronize me!" Regina snapped. "Do you want to know more about the person who threatened Giselle or not? Henry says your son is quite attached to her."

"Not exactly _quite_ attached," Mr. Gold replied. "At least not at the moment. But he will be soon."

"Have you been looking into the future again?" Regina asked.

"I can't help it," Rumple replied. "It's what I do. So, are you going to tell me more about this mysterious person who is threatening Giselle, or are you just going to stand there and talk about nothing all day?"

"Her name is Narissa," Regina replied. "She's an old friend of my mother's, so I've known her for awhile."

"And we know that if she's a friend of your mother's, she's not exactly coming to just ask for a cup of sugar, is she?" Rumple asked. "Where is she now? Wandering around Storybrooke? Are helpless citizens in danger?"

"No," Regina said. "She's in my kitchen. I put a freezing spell on her the second she showed up."

"Well, that will make things easier, won't it?" Rumple asked. He put a sign on the door of the shop to indicate that it was temporarily closed, and then he and Regina went to her house to deal with Narissa.

* * *

Meanwhile, Emma and David were driving along when out of nowhere, someone jumped on the hood of the vehicle and stabbed his sword through the windshield. "What the hell?" Emma cried as she swerved and threw the man off. With a thump, he landed on the road and David urged Emma to stop the car.

"We might have to take him to the hospital as well," David said as they ran over to where they presumed the man had landed and found him standing upright and seemingly unhurt. "What in the hell did you do to my car?" Emma asked him. "Are you insane?"

"I am Edward, of Andalasia," Edward replied. "I have come seeking my true love, Giselle. I also have freed you peasants from the horrible yellow beast who holds you hostage."

"'Horrible yellow beast'?" Emma asked. "That's no beast. That's my _car_!" She rushed at him and started to pummel him with her fists, but almost immediately, David put a hand on her shoulder. "Emma, be calm," he told her. "He says he's from Andalasia, and he's looking for Giselle. Maybe we can help him. Or he can help us."

"You seek Giselle also?" Edward asked when he was able to get up. "A quest! We shall look for her together!" And with that, he ran off, leaving Emma and David alone. "Maybe we should go after him," Emma said. "And take him to the hospital. I know there was a logical reason for Giselle's behavior, but _his_?" She paused. "At least I can book him for wanton destruction of property while we figure out what to do with him."

"Or we could just get him a room at Granny's," David said. "Don't forget that that's also an option. You know what happened when you tried to lock up Giselle."

"Yeah, I know," Emma huffed. "Come on. Let's go round him up and take him to Granny's. And maybe find him some new clothes too. In those tights and that puffy-sleeved thing he looks like he escaped from a Renaissance fair and I _don't_ mean that as a compliment."

"I'll go back to the house and see if I can't find some new clothes for him," David told her. "You try and round him up. And remember: _Be gentle._" Emma nodded and as she ran in the direction the man had gone, David drove away. He reached home and Mary Margaret greeted him at the door. "Don't have time to talk," he said. "I just have to find some clothes."

"Why?" Mary Margaret asked. "You look nice. Nothing is stained."

"They aren't for me," David said. "They're for somebody else. He's looking for Giselle."

"Well, isn't that good?" Mary Margaret asked. "Maybe he's come to take her home!"

"Or maybe he's here on accident, just like she is, and he has no idea how to get back," David replied. "Emma is going to get him a room at Granny's and then we'll deal with him from there."

"Should we worry about him?" Mary Margaret asked. "Did he seem like a bad man?"

"Aside from the mess he made of the windshield of Emma's car, he seems all right," David replied.

"Good," Mary Margaret took a deep breath while David went up to get some of his clothes. He brought down a pair of pants, a shirt, some socks, and some shoes, then after telling Mary Margaret goodbye, drove to Granny's inn, where he met Emma in the lobby.

"Did you get the stuff?" Emma asked. "I managed to catch him and bring him here. He says his name is Edward, and that he and Giselle were supposed to be married. When I left, he was talking to the TV. Are you _sure_ we shouldn't have him checked out? I honestly don't think it would hurt."

"Well, let's just talk to him first," David said. "And if he still seems strange afterward, we'll take him to see Doctor Whale."

Emma took him to Edward's room, and when they came in, Edward turned to them and pointed at the TV. "I don't like this magic mirror at all," he said. "It's no help whatsoever for locating Giselle."

"What makes you think the television will tell you where Giselle is?" Emma asked.

"Because magic mirrors know everything," Edward replied. "My mother's does, anyway."

Emma's jaw dropped a little. "Your mother has a magic mirror?" Emma looked at David. "Regina had a magic mirror too, didn't she? You think she and he are...?"

"No," David shook his head. "That can't be. There has to be another explanation."

Emma cleared her throat. "What's your mother's name?" She asked.

"Queen Narissa, of Andalasia," Edward replied and turned back to the television. "You know, this magic mirror is fascinating!"

"Why don't you stay here and watch it while we figure out what to do with you, all right?" Emma said, then she and David left the room after David left the pile of clothes he'd brought for Edward on the bed with a brief "Put those on."

"What a nut!" Emma said as they left the inn. "Do you think we should tell Giselle about him? She might want to know that he's here."

"Not until we're sure that he's telling the truth about his relationship with her," David replied. "For all we know, he's making it up and Giselle doesn't like him at all."

"And I should probably tell Neal, too," Emma said. "Since he and Mr. Gold have kind of taken Giselle under their wing and everything."

"All right," David nodded. "You go tell Neal, I'll look for Mr. Gold." They went their separate ways, and it didn't take long for David to get to Regina's once he got to the pawn shop and realized Mr. Gold wasn't there.

* * *

"Can we help you, David?" Regina asked when she opened the door.

"I just-I just wanted to let Mr. Gold know that a man has come to Storybrooke claiming to be Giselle's fiance. Well, actually, he said he came to rescue her, but usually that means that they're engaged."

"Are they really?" Mr. Gold asked, appearing beside Regina. He'd just finished shoving Narissa in a closet so he was a little out of breath. "Just where have you put this man, David? Somewhere easily accessible, I hope?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "He's at Granny's inn. We're going to take him to the doctor tomorrow."

"All right," Mr. Gold nodded. He then bid Regina goodbye and headed back to the shop.

"Where were you?" Belle asked. "I saw the 'closed' sign on the door and I wondered."

"Regina just needed some help with something," Mr. Gold replied. "Nothing too serious, Belle."

"Good," Belle replied with a grin, kissing him. "Can I assume you're going to be here at the store for the rest of the day, or do you have to go out again?"

"Just one more trip out," Rumple said. "And then I'm yours for the rest of the day."

"All right," Belle nodded. "Don't take too long. I'll be with Giselle. She's been telling me the most interesting stories about man she wants to marry. I hope you and Neal can find a way to get her back home so she can be with him. He sounds wonderful."

"Yes, well," Gold nodded. "I'll certainly try, Belle." But instead of trying, he went to Granny's inn, got Ruby to tell him where Edward was staying, barged into Edward's room, immobilized him with the same spell that had been used on Narissa, and zapped him inside an underground cellar in the shop. Now he wouldn't be around to get in the way of Giselle's romance with Bae, Gold told himself. "Now Bae and Giselle can live happily ever after."


	6. Neal Is Made Aware Of Edward

A few days later, Regina sneaked into Mr. Gold's shop while he and Belle were out and retrieved Edward's frozen body from the closet where Rumple had put it. She whispered a spell that brought the young man back to life, starting when his eyes popped open.

"Hello, Pretty Lady," he greeted her. "I am looking for my true love, Giselle. Do you know where she is? I must find her so that we may go back home to Andalasia and be married forthwith. Although first, I would like to find that man who attacked me and run him through!" He pulled out his sword and it glinted and in the light.

"Usually, I would agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment," she said. "But now-now isn't the time to kill him."

"Why not?" Edward asked. "He must be the fiend who's holding my Giselle captive! I have come to rescue her, and rescue her I will."

"But you can't!" Regina put a hand on his arm. "You don't even know what you're up against."

"Is he a troll?" Edward asked. "I'm very good at fighting trolls."

"No," Regina chuckled. "He's not a troll. We call him 'The Dark One'. Or at least part of him, anyway. He can be decent when he wants to be. Even I'll admit that. Now, you have to come with me. He and his true love could be back any minute and I don't want them to know that I set you free!"

"Lead the way," Edward told her. She led him out to her car, and at the sight of it, he usheathed his sword. "Another foul beast!" He cried. "Do not fear, fair maiden. I will save you!" Before Regina could stop him, he began slashing and breaking the doors and windows with his sword. Regina rubbed her temples and then grabbed him. "Step away from the car!" She cried. "It's not a monster. It's a way of getting around. Like a carriage."

"Oh," Edward flushed a little. "I'm sorry."

"No worries," Regina said and fixed the windows and windshield with a wave of her hand. "There," she grinned. "All fixed."

"My goodness!" Edward replied, his eyes wide. "You can do magic!"

Regina nodded. "I can."

He turned away from the car. "Could you, perhaps, use your magic to tell me where I might find Giselle?"

"That's unnecessary," Regina told him. "I know exactly where your Giselle is, but here's the thing," she ushered him into the car. "The thing is, the the Dark One has decided that he wants Giselle to be with his son, and given how I found you, he won't take kindly to anything that interfere with that plan. So I suggest you lie low with me until he's no longer worried and then we can get Giselle later when he's not expecting it."

"A sneak attack!" Edward cried, his eyes lighting up. "That's brilliant!" He paused. "By the way, what is your name, pretty lady?"

Regina grinned. "It's Regina," she said. "I'm the mayor of this town."

"I am Edward, Prince of Andalasia," Edward introduced himself. "Where do you intend for us to hide out while we wait for your Dark One to be distracted.

"I thought my house would be a good option," Regina replied. "I think you'd be very comfortable there."

"I'm sure I will be," Edward smiled. "Thank you for helping me. You're very kind."

"You're welcome," Regina said. They drove to her house and parked in the driveway. As they both got out, Regina said, "I know it's not a castle, but will it do?"

"Of course, Regina," Edward replied. "I would be honored to stay in your home while we plot ways to trick your 'Dark One' and rescue my fair Giselle."

"All right," Regina nodded as she led him inside. "That's good to know."

* * *

"Emma," Neal asked. "There's something you've been trying to tell me since yesterday. Why is it so hard for you?"

"Because it's bad news," Emma told him. "It might upset you...and your father. It's mainly your father I'm worried about."

"Well, what's the news?" Neal asked.

"It's about Giselle," she replied. "Don't get too attached because...I think her fiance has arrived in Storybrooke. He's looking for her."

"Really?" Neal asked. "Well, I don't know what to say. I can't say I'm incredibly attached to Giselle, but at the very least it's nice to have a clean apartment. And I admit I don't mind not coming home to an empty space."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Emma nodded. "Ever since Hook and I-"

"Wait a minute!" Neal cried. "You and Hook? When were you planning on telling me this?"

"I didn't think I was obligated to tell you every time I entered into a new relationship," Emma told him. "It's nothing serious yet. He lives at my house, and we have separate rooms."

"What do your parents think about this?" Neal asked.

"David was against it at first, but Mary Margaret convinced him that I needed to have my own life. And with continued exposure, I think Hook and David will warm up to each other."

"I doubt it," Neal chuckled. "I can't imagine what you were thinking. It must be so awkward having him around."

"I don't think it's half as awkward as it would have been if I'd come home with you for Thanksgiving and said, "Hey, look, Mom and Dad! I'm dating the son of the Dark One! We even have a kid!" Emma replied.

Neal nodded. "Point taken," he said. "But Hook...I know him. I spent lots of time on his ship when I was a kid and I don't think it would be wrong for me to warn you to be careful around him."

Emma nodded. "I'll take the warning into account, but really, I think I can handle anything he tries to pull." She paused. "So what do you plan to do about Giselle's fiance? Are you gonna let him take her away? Or will you not repeat the same mistake twice and admit you like her?"

"i-I don't know!" Neal said. "I need time to think!"

"Well, I'd make a decision quick," Emma advised. "Who knows how long he's gonna give you to say what you need to say?"

Neal nodded and went back home. Thankfully, Giselle wasn't in the apartment, but his father was. "What's on your mind, Bae?" Rumple asked. "It looks like something is troubling you?"

"It's nothing you need to deal with," Neal told him. "Let me handle this on my own."

"If it's about Giselle's fiance, I've already taken care of things," Rumple replied.

"Oh, my god!" Neal cried. "What have you done? Did you kill him?"

"No," Rumple shook his head. "I simply put him in a state of suspended animation long enough to give you the happy ending you and Giselle are supposed to have. I would have thought you'd be thanking me."

"As usual," Neal replied, "Your 'help' wasn't necessary and probably made things worse. Now, I want you to go and get Giselle's finance, bring him back here, and fix him!"

"What about my fiance?" Giselle asked as she and Belle came in? "What about Edward? Have you found him? Has he come to rescue me?"

"Yes," Neal replied. "He's come to rescue you. And once we remove the spell that's been put on him, you and he can be on your way."

Giselle looked at Belle, then at Neal and Rumple in turn. "It's no rush," she said. "I like it here. I've made many good friends. In fact, if it was possible, I'd want to stay here forever."


	7. Neal Gets Dating Advice From Hook

Rumple grinned. "Well, all right. If you _want_ to stay with us forever, then I suppose there's no harm in that. He looked pointedly at Neal. "Is there, Bae?"

"Yes!" Giselle nodded. "May I stay? Please?"

"I don't get it," Neal replied. "When you got here, you were all about finding your fiance and going home to Andalusia-"

"Andalasia," Giselle corrected.

"Whatever," Neal shook his head. "The point is, you came here for a reason and now you don't want to go."

"That's correct," Giselle nodded. "Which is why when we _do_ see Edward, I'll have to break the news to him gently." She paused. "I hope I don't break his poor heart. He was looking forward to marrying me so much."

"Well, you know men," Rumple replied. "Most of them move on easily. I don't think you should worry about your former beloved too much."

"I hope you're right," Giselle nodded, looking at Neal. "Because I've already seen someone around here that interests me more than Edward ever did."

Neal looked at her in surprise. "You can't mean me?"

"Yes!" Giselle nodded. "I like you, Neal. Let's get married!"

"Hold on a minute now!" Neal said. "I-I really don't think I'm ready to just get married. We don't do things that way around here."

"Oh?" Giselle asked. "Then what is it you do when you love someone?"

"Well, first of all," Neal replied, "how can you possibly think that you love me?"

"Well," Giselle replied thoughtfully, "You're kind and thoughtful, if a little messy. But that doesn't bother me. I can take care of it. And you rescued me when I couldn't get into the castle and found me lodging for the night, and showed me how the magic water pipes worked. You were a friend to me when I had none. That's why I love you."

Neal sighed. "Well, all right," he said. "So you love me. But that still doesn't mean it'd be a good idea for us to just run off and marry."

"You said that before," Giselle replied. "What do you think we should do instead?"

"Well, around here when you like someone," Neal said, "before you marry, you date."

"What's dating?" Giselle asked, looking intrigued.

"It's when you go somewhere nice, like a restaurant, and you talk to each other about yourselves, your interests, whatever comes to mind," Belle told her. "Rumple and I usually go to Granny's for hamburgers and iced tea on the weekends. You should give it a try."

Giselle looked at Neal. "I think we should go on a date," she said tentatively. "Do you want to?"

Neal opened his mouth and stuttered. "I-I don't know," He replied.

"Come on, son," Rumple encouraged. "Why not give it a try? What reason could there possibly be to deny her what she wants?"

Neal looked at Giselle's hopeful eyes and nodded. "All right," he said. "We'll go out once to see how it goes. But don't just automatically expect that one date will make us a couple. Or that we'll be getting married afterward, even though that's how things seem to go in your neck of the woods."

Giselle nodded. "If I thought we were getting married right away, I wouldn't be asking you out on this date," she pointed out.

"Right," Neal nodded, running his fingers through his hair. "Right."

"So when do you want to go?" Giselle asked. "Tonight? Or are you busy?"

"No, not tonight," Neal said quickly. "Let's wait a couple of days. It'll give me time to wrap my head around the fact that this is something I'm actually doing. And I should probably tell Emma and Henry as well. They'll wanna know."

"Why?" Belle asked. "Why do you think you need to tell Emma? You're not together anymore. You don't owe her any explanations."

"Well," Neal cleared his throat. "Emma's had mixed feelings about Giselle and I just wanted to let her know that Giselle and I are a couple ahead of time, just for her own peace of mind. For Henry's sake, you know. Not because I feel I still have to have permission from her to do things in my life."

"Right," Belle nodded. "Of course. Whatever you say."

Neal looked back and forth between everyone in the room that was staring at him with silent intensity and said, "All right. I'm gonna go now, cause you all are making me very uncomfortable. All right. Bye."

* * *

He left and, despite the fact that he knew everyone he'd just left wouldn't approve, he headed straight for Emma's. He got there and knocked on the door, starting when Hook, not Emma, opened it for him. "Hello, Baelfire," he greeted Neal. "What brings you here?"

"Can I come in?" Neal asked. "Please?"

"Oh, of course!" Hook nodded. "Come in and make yourself at home." Neal came in and parked himself on the sofa. "So," Hook asked. "What brings you here? Emma thought we'd never see you."

"It's just...it's a really stupid thing, but I thought I should tell Emma anyway. I have a date. I have a date and I wanted to let her know because it's with someone she doesn't necessarily like." Neal replied. "She arrested her when she first came."

Hook's eyes widened a little. "Goodness, Baelfire. What sort of woman is she?"

"She's not bad!" Neal replied. "It was just a little misunderstanding. Her name is Giselle, the woman I have a date with, and she's not exactly from around here."

"Well, where's she from?" Hook asked.

Neal shrugged. "I don't know. It's called Andalasia. Have you heard of it?"

"No," Hook shook his head. "And you'd think I would have by now. I've been lots of places over the years."

Neal nodded. "Anyway, she asked me to go on a date with her, and it's the first one I've been on since, you know, Tamara and I..."

"Crashed and burned?" Hook finished. "Yes, I heard about that. But honestly, having conspired with her to bring Storybrooke down, I really don't think you would have been happy with her, mate." He paused. "So this Giselle...what's she like?"

"She's very..." Neal tried to think of how to describe Giselle. "She's very perky," he got out finally. "And neat. And good hearted. But she has an enthusiasm for magic that worries me."

"Why?" Hook asked. "Do you think she'll become dependent on it like your father?"

Neal shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. But I just...after what happened with my father, I can't help but be a little nervous."

"Well, you'll be how you'll be," Hook told him. "But I would advise you to stop worrying, if at all possible. If you're so bogged down with worry, you'll miss the good parts of the relationship because you're so afraid for the bad. But like I say, you'll do what you will. You don't have to listen to me. I'm just a pirate, after all. What do I know?"

"Well, this is a surprise," Emma said, coming in to the house carrying a grocery bag in each hand. "No, no, you sit!" She said as Hook got up to help her. "I know you mean well, but last time you punctured one of the bags and it made a big mess." She put the perishables in the refrigerator and freezer and then turned back to the men. "What are you two talking about?"

"I've got a date," Neal replied. "With Giselle. We're just going to eat at Granny's, but I thought that you'd want to know, given your skittishness about Giselle in the past."

"Actually," Emma replied, "I'm over that now. But thanks for coming all the way over here to let me know. And good luck."

"Just when is this date of yours, Baelfire?" Hook asked.

"She wanted it to be tonight," Neal replied. "But I told her that was too soon. I told her to give me a few days to think about it."

"Why would you do that?" Hook asked. "Do you like this woman?"

"She's okay," Neal replied. "I don't dislike her. Papa seems to think I'm destined to be with her or something, so of course he's wanting to push us together every chance he gets."

"But what about Giselle's finance?" Emma asked. "Don't you remember me telling you that he's in Storybrooke now? You can't date a woman who has a fiance."

"Oh, my god," Neal nodded. "You're right!"

"Wait a minute now," Hook said. "You told me that _she_ asked _you_ on this date. Is that right?"

"Yeah," Neal nodded. "She did."

"Well, then she can't miss her fiance too much, can she? If it were me, I would just go ahead and go on the date if that's what she wants," Hook told him. "What could it possibly hurt?"

"It could hurt her fiance!" Emma said. "Hook, you can't just suggest that Neal go around dating an engaged woman, even if it _was_ her idea!" She paused. "What was going through your head?"

"It's what happened with my mother," Neal replied. "My mother got bored living with Papa and me and wanted a more exciting life. Hook was the pirate that took her away. Once they left, I never saw my mother again."

Hook sighed. "We meant to come back for you!" He told Neal. "But your father killed her before we could get around to doing that. You have to trust me."

Neal stood up. "I don't know why I came here," he said. "Cause my dating life is none of Emma's business, and I should know better than to take any sort of advice from you, Hook. I'm just...I'm gonna go, all right? Goodbye, you two."

* * *

After getting back from Hook and Emma's, Neal kept to himself, mostly. Although he and Giselle were living in the same apartment, he barely spoke two words to her. On the night they were supposed to go to Granny's, she came out in her nicest dress and said to Neal, "Are you ready to go?"

Neal sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, Giselle. But I don't know if I can do this."

"Why not?" Giselle asked.

"Cause you're still engaged," Neal replied. "Even though your fiance isn't with you, he's here, and so being with you would be wrong, no matter what my father says. Don't waste your time with me. Find your Prince Charming, go off to Andalasia, and live happily ever after. That's what you want, isn't it? And I know, based on past experience, that no matter what you do, you won't find your happily ever after with me."


	8. Giselle and Neal Become a Couple

A/N: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to be published, everyone!

* * *

Giselle stared at Neal in shock for a few minutes, then cast down her eyes and nodded. "I suppose you're right," she said. Then she sighed and turned around to walk away.

"Now wait just a minute, dearie," Rumple said, putting a hand on Giselle's shoulder. "This isn't the end of the world. We can think of a way to fix this. Everyone has a price. We just need to figure out your fiance's."

"Papa, are you seriously suggesting we bribe her fiance to break things off with her just so she can be with me?" Neal asked. "No. I can't do that."

"Why not?" Rumple asked. "If he's willing to take a bribe, he's not good enough for her anyway."

Giselle sighed. "We'll find Edward," she said. "And we'll talk to him. And if he's found someone else, would you agree to come on a date with me?"

"Well, sure," Neal replied. "Of course. But I don't know who he would find to date around here. If he was willing to cross dimensions just to come to Storybrooke and get you, I don't think it will be easy to distract him with another woman."

"Well," Rumple shrugged. "We can always try. No reason to give up yet."

Neal gave Belle a pained look. "Are you hearing what he says?" He asked her. "Don't you think he's wrong?"

Belle smiled. "It never hurts to try," she said. "What's the harm in that? If Giselle's fiance still wants her, then all right. But if he doesn't, and you have a chance to have something real and good with her, won't you be glad you took the risk? Things like this happen in my books all the time, and they always turn out well. True love always prevails."

Neal sighed. "The only problem is, I don't think Giselle and I have true love."

"Well, how would you know that?" Belle asked, standing up, her book falling out of her lap and slamming on the floor. "You haven't even tried to have a relationship with her. Maybe if you tried, something good would come out of it."

Neal sighed. "Possibly," he conceded. "But first, we have to find that fiance of hers and get them sorted out."

"Where do you suppose Edward would be?" Giselle asked.

"At the shop," Rumple said. "I put him there after he came."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Neal asked. "You didn't kill him and store his body somewhre, did you? Cause remember, Papa: one of the conditions of our getting along is that you wouldn't kill people anymore!"

"I didn't _kill_ him, Bae," Rumple corrected. "I just immobilized him. There's a difference."

"But you're going to go to the shop and fix that now, aren't you?" Belle asked him."

"Yes, yes," Rumple sighed. "I will."

They all headed out with Belle chiding Rumple, "What could make you think that immobilizing that poor man with magic would be all right?"

Rumple sighed. "I had a plan, Belle," he told her. "And I just didn't want that fool in the way."

"There are better ways of dealing with problems than using magic!" Belle reminded him. "We discussed this before!" They got in Neal's car and headed to the shop, where Rumple looked in the closet where he'd stored Edward and then turned to face the rest of the group. "He's gone," he said.

"You're making that up!" Neal exclaimed. But when he went to peer into the closet, he had to concede that Rumple was correct, and there was nothing even remotely resembling an immobilized body in the closet.

"Well, where did it go?" Neal asked. "Immobilized bodies don't just get up on their own and walk out!"

Rumple shrugged. "I have no idea."

"So Edward is _missing?"_ Giselle asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We'll find him," Neal assured her, then turned back to his father. "Is therer anyone else besides you who knew he was here?"

"Regina!" Rumple nodded. "She knew that he was here...but you don't suppose she would have done anything with him...do you?"

"I wouldn't put anything past her," Belle scoffed. "Why don't we go and ask if she knows anything."

"This is turning into quite an adventure, isn't it?" Giselle asked, grinning at Neal as he took her hand.

"Yeah, it is," he nodded. "Sorry about what my father did to your fiance. His dependence on magic is one of the reasons why I don't like it so much, even though I grew up around it."

"Well, maybe if you had more positive experiences with it, you'd like magic," Giselle suggested. "I could help you with that."

"You can do magic?" Neal asked.

"No," Giselle shook her head. "But Andalasia's full of it. I could take you there."

"After you break things off with Edward, of course," Neal clarified. "I'm sure the people of Andalasia wouldn't like the woman who's supposed to be married to their prince running around with a man like me."

"Maybe," Giselle nodded. "And if that's the case, you know why I'm not leaving here."

Neal looked at her in surprise. "You're seriously wanting to give up your life in Andalasia and the chance to be a princess to spend your life with me?"

"Yes!" Giselle nodded. "Yes, I do. You seem to need me more than Edward does. Does that bother you?"

"No," Neal shook his head. "Of course not. It just...the last couple of relationships I've had ended badly."

"Are you two coming?" Belle called. "Or should Rumple and I take the car and go over to Regina's by ourselves?"

"Sorry!" Neal called. "We're coming!" He and Giselle hurried to the car, and then the four of them rode to Regina's, where they parked in the street and ran up to the house, Rumple rapping on the door repeatedly with his cane.

"Now, now," Regina said when she finally got around to opening the door. "Enough of that. You'll chip the paint. What are you all doing here? Have you come for Henry?"

"No," Rumple shook his head. "We came to ask where you put the body you took from my shop after you stole it. The young man I immobilized and put in the closet. He's not there anymore and you're the only other person besides me who knows about him."

"Yes!" Giselle said, moving in front of Neal. "What have you done with Edward? Did you hurt him?"

At that moment, Edward and Henry appeared next to Regina. "What's going on?" Henry asked as Regina patted him on the head.

"It's nothing," Regina told him. "Go back to watching TV, Henry. They all just came looking for Edward."

"Giselle!" Edward cried.

"Hello, Edward," Giselle replied. "You and I, we need to talk."

"I agree that we do," Edward replied. "Won't you come inside?"

"Why don't we all?" Giselle asked and looked at Regina. "Do you mind?"

"Why not?" Regina asked. "Why don't you _all_ come in?"

They all trooped into the house, where cartoons blared from the television. Henry and Edward sat back down, their eyes glued to the set. Presumably that's what they'd been doing before Neal and the others had shown up.

"I thought we were gonna talk," Giselle reminded Edward.

"Oh, yes, of course," he replied. They started to walk away and Neal called to Giselle, "You want me in there with you?"

"No, thank you, Neal," Giselle replied. "We'll be all right." They went off to another room and both sat down.

"I have something I need to tell you, Edward," Giselle began. "I know you might be hurt to hear this, but...I think I love someone else." She paused. "Are you upset?"

"No!" Edward shook his head, his face lighting up. "Because that's what I was going to tell you as well. I've fallen in love with Regina! I plan to take her back to Andalasia soon so we can marry."

"Well, what about her son?" Giselle asked. "What about Henry? What if he doesn't want to go to Andalasia? And if he _does_ go, how will Neal and Emma see him?"

"Why does that matter?" Edward asked.

"It should," Giselle said. "If Regina's happiness matters to you. I plan to stay here with Neal and all the friends I've made. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you," Edward replied. "You too."

Giselle then got up and went back to Neal. "I'm free now," she said. "I promise. We can go on that date now."

Neal blinked. "Where is he?" He asked. "Your fiance?"

Giselle pointed. "In that little room off the sitting room. But I assure you that everything is all right."

"Not that I don't believe you," Neal told her. "But I just want to be absolutely sure." He went off and saw Edward. "Hey," he said. "Is it all right with you if I take Giselle out?"

"Yes," Edward nodded. "I love the fair Regina. Giselle is yours."

"All right," Neal nodded and ran out with a smile on his face. Rumple saw the smile and said, "Well, son? What's the verdict?"

Giselle looked at him with anticipation, and he hugged, her, saying, "It looks like we have a date tonight."


End file.
